Why is Goldman Sachs the best firm?

I know GS is considered the best in terms of prestige, but why is it like that? Is their culture any different from JPM or Barclays for instance, do they produce better/quality work? (All rhetorical questions of course). I just want to gain an understanding as to why they are viewed so highly in comparison to other firms.

The ranking of firms is beta quality. Obviously for non-ranking reasons don't choose WF over GS, but the main reason would be for want of a pure IB experience over a large banking that is mostly known for financing type of leveling. I wholeheartedly look down upon anyone that thinks this way and would laugh at anyone with a compulsion to utter any words of ranking out loud.

They're the best because of their history. Frankly, it's really not that different than the other BBs but I would say you're expected to work harder there even if your job doesn't require 90 hour weeks. I know some BO people who are there all the time & they're in ops.

Exit opportunities. If you're lucky enough to be in TMT or FIG, sit back and enjoy the ride

While those groups are the ticket to opening incredible opportunities, sit back and enjoy the ride is hardly what those poor analysts are able to do. I know it was TIC, but just wanted to point out the irony of the verbiage.

All comes down to the $$$. GS has historically placed strongly in the league tables.

I used to work in banking in Asia, (HK and Singapore, mostly), where GS is typically head and shoulders above its closest competitors. That's what comes when you take WSO's prestige obsession and have it apply to entire cultures.

It's one of those things where they're the "best bank" because everyone thinks they're the best bank....which helps them be the "best bank" by league tables, which helps people think they're the "best bank"....and so on.

That said here is one HUGE reason that you will hardly ever see anyone on the street admit openly: Goldman Sachs has performed an exception job of regulatory capture. There are a huge number of firm alumni in high level government positions as is widely known. What is considerably less widely known is how closely intertwined their firm is with the New York court system. One rule that a lot of people will tell you if you can get them to ask for is that you do everything in your power to prevent any court case involving them from being tried in New York. If that happens the odds are that the judge in question (Federal or otherwise) is a Goldman Sachs alumni and will rule in the firm's favor.

It's so blatant there have even been instances where the receiver of a competitor's business asset was currently serving in executive level posts with Goldman Sachs,.

It's one of those things where they're the "best bank" because everyone thinks they're the best bank....which helps them be the "best bank" by league tables, which helps people think they're the "best bank"....and so on.

That said here is one HUGE reason that you will hardly ever see anyone on the street admit openly: Goldman Sachs has performed an exception job of regulatory capture. There are a huge number of firm alumni in high level government positions as is widely known. What is considerably less widely known is how closely intertwined their firm is with the New York court system. One rule that a lot of people will tell you if you can get them to ask for is that you do everything in your power to prevent any court case involving them from being tried in New York. If that happens the odds are that the judge in question (Federal or otherwise) is a Goldman Sachs alumni and will rule in the firm's favor.

It's so blatant there have even been instances where the receiver of a competitor's business asset was currently serving in executive level posts with Goldman Sachs,.

This is literally the only real answer. Has anyone else notice how vocal and BSD Lloyd is with Trump? Dimon is much more cordial and polite with Trump, because it's true. Lloyd has his dick in the reg hole and him talking his shit is his way of assuaging any belief that GS controls the government. I don't think it does, this is just simply how the real world works.

But the thing about emotion is also very true. "The illusion has become real, and the more real it becomes the more desperate they want it."

What? I don't know any NY city judge (state or federal) that is a Goldman sachs alum. Would be very unusual to go from goldman sachs>judge. Much more likely path would involve working big law. Very little if any overlap between bank lawyers and judges.

What? I don't know any NY city judge (state or federal) that is a Goldman sachs alum. Would be very unusual to go from goldman sachs>judge. Much more likely path would involve working big law. Very little if any overlap between bank lawyers and judges.

You'd be surprised. I should clarify that not all of them are necessarily "alumni" in the traditional sense. There's a lot of them who either worked for outside firms or have other significant ties.

Goldman Sachs was recently voted the "best bank to work for on wall street" despite employees pointing out their jobs come with with long hours, stress and anxiety, and an office culture filled with red tape.

It seems to me that Goldman has long been the best simply because of their reputation of being the best. For many of us prestige driven monkeys their expansive list of exit ops and the line "I work for Goldman Sachs, ever heard of it?" is enough to make Goldman our first choice when it comes to IB. It makes we wonder how much thought was put into how their employees actually feel while at their desk.

Goldman is and may forever be the most prestigious bank on the street, but is it really the bank you would want to work for if you plan to work in IB your whole life, or if you couldn't tell anyone you worked there?